Major General Marcelite J. Harris

United States Air Force, Retired
Former Director of Maintenance, Deputy Chief of Staff, Logistics

Major General Marcelite Harris is a woman of "firsts." She was the first
woman aircraft
maintenance officer for the United States Air Force; she was the first
woman deputy commander
for maintenance; she was one of the first two women air officers
commanding at the U.S. Air
Force Academy. General Harris served her entire 30+ year Air Force
career as a woman with a
mission to be the best. From September 1975-May 1978 she was a personnel
staff officer and
White House social aide, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C.

As Director of Maintenance, General Harris organized, trained and
equipped a work force of
more than 120,000 technicians and managers, and maintained a $260
billion plus Global
Reach Global Power aerospace weapons systems inventory, She developed
maintenance policy,
ensuring the readiness of the single largest element of manpower
supporting Air Force combat
forces worldwide. She determined and successfully defended an annual
budget of more than
$20 billion to the office of the Secretary of Defense, Office of
Management and Budget and
Congress.

Many have recognized the dedication and excellence of Marcelite Harris
including the National
Organization of Tuskegee Airman, naming her Woman of the Year. Dollars
and Sense Magazine,
honored her as 'Most Prestigious Individual'. Harris was named "Military
African American
Woman" for contributions to the Department of Defense, National
Political Congress of Black
Women. She was noted as "Black Woman of Courage" by the National
Federation of Black
Women Business Owners. Harris received the prestigious 'Ellis Island
Medal of Honor."

General Harris received many medals and decorations including the Air
Force Commendation
Medal with oak leaf clusters * Presidential Unit Citation * Air Force
Commendation Unit Award
with "V" device and eight oak leaf clusters * Republic of Vietnam
Gallantry Cross with Palm.

Women's International Center is enormously proud to present the 1998
Living Legacy Patriot
Award to Marcelite J. Harris, a woman who knows the joy and
responsibility of being the first.